Thursday, July 30, 2015
The Apostle Paul tells us that living a joyful life is God’s will for
us.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Even though it is God’s will, he still gives us the free will to choose
it or reject it. We have the free will to determine how we respond to every
situation we experience. Every opportunity we have is an opportunity to think
joyfully.
Dear brothers and
sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
James 1:2
Often we think of joy as a destination. We often ask, “How do I find
joy.” What if…joy is not a destination, but the path we choose each day? How does that switch your thinking? What if joy is not something you get? Here is
the truth: joy is not something that you get or find. Joy is something you
choose.
Situations that affect our joy can range from a personal slight to a
full on personal attack. They can include situations where others have tried to
rob us of joy or they can be situations where we sabotage our own joy. Perhaps
you’ve been short or snappy with someone. Perhaps you’ve gossiped or criticized
someone. Perhaps someone has done you an injustice. Perhaps someone disagree
with you. Perhaps someone you love makes bad choices. Each of these scenarios
affects our joy. I have experienced the
full range of joy robbing. These situations can try us, they can cause us to
stagger in our faith, they can cause us real physical ailments, they can cause
us to temporarily move into our cave of despair, but the essential question is,
will we allow these situations to rob us of our joy? When the joyless thought
enters your head, you get to decide how long it stays there. That length of
time will create either a joyless reaction or a joyful response. That length of
time will shape your hour, your day, and often your month and your life.
When the bad thought enters your mind, replace it by following these
steps.
1.
Rename –
Tell yourself this thought is a negative, bad, ungodly, or unkind thought 2. Re-frame – Focus on a positive or distracting thought
3. Redirect - Change your actions to something uplifting, fun, or engaging.
With each situation, we choose how to think, speak, and act. We can
choose to have a joyful response or a joyless reaction.
What I can tell you from my own personal experiences with situations
that can steal or joy is that…
the sooner I completely let God give me his strength and wisdom, · the sooner I completely let God give me his strength and wisdom,
· the sooner I determine my responsibility in the situation,
· the sooner I make right any wrong I have caused,
· the sooner I am proactive instead of reactive,
· the sooner I take realize what I can control and what I can’t control,
· the sooner I get a handle on my emotions, my thoughts, and my actions,
· the sooner I ask myself “what is the truth of this situation?” and then deal with the truth,
· the sooner I seek wise counsel,
· the sooner I stop dwelling and ruminating,
· the sooner I make deliberate choices to switch my thinking,
· the sooner I act in loving, positive ways,
· the sooner I heed Jesus’ advice as found in Matthew 10:14, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet,”
· the sooner I decide to live forward and not backward,
· the sooner I examine how I can grow in this situation,
· the sooner I realize that people have a right to have different opinions, ideas, and choices and being different doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong,
…then the sooner I will dwell in joy.
